Bil Baird

Who was Bil Baird?

William Britton Baird, professional name Bil Baird, but often referred to as Bill Baird, was an American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century.

One of his better known creations was Charlemane the lion. He and his wife Cora Eisenberg Baird produced and performed the famous puppetry sequence for "The Lonely Goatherd" in the film version of The Sound of Music.

He wrote The Art of the Puppet and also provided the puppets for Dark Shadows. Baird also created the expandable nose Peter Noone wore as Pinocchio in the 1968 musical adaptation of the Carlo Collodi story that aired on NBC as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special. Baird's choice of his professional name inspired Termite Terrace cartoon writer Edward Stacey Pierce III to add a second "D" to his own professional name, calling himself Tedd Pierce.